Vilnius' municipal administration director Povilas Poderskis says that a nationwide emergency is planned to be declared over the critical condition of the historic Gediminas Hill, a symbol of the capital and the whole Lithuania.

Under the law, if a declared emergency situation is not resolved within half a year, it is automatically declared at the central government's level, the official told BNS.

At the Culture Ministry's request, the city's local authority in late June declared the municipal-level emergency in an effort to speed up the planning and carrying out of work and to simplify the allocation of funds for dealing with the landslide problems.

The Culture Ministry and the National Museum, which is subordinate to the ministry, are in charge of the hill's maintenance.